KENSINGTON — Exeter was not content with just hosting the 10-year-old New England Cal Ripken Baseball Regional.

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By DAN DOYON

seacoastonline.com

By DAN DOYON

Posted Jul. 29, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By DAN DOYON
Posted Jul. 29, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

KENSINGTON — Exeter was not content with just hosting the 10-year-old New England Cal Ripken Baseball Regional.

The Exeter All-Stars proved it all the way to the last out.

Cranston (R.I.) defeated Exeter earlier last Thursday, 8-5, and a winner-take-all championship game was played later that night.

Exeter jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second game, but Cranston rallied with eight unanswered runs and held on for an 8-7 victory in the double-elimination tournament at Sawyer Park.

"We were close, not enough, but close," Exeter coach Todd Gibbons said. "Not a lot of people expected us to be here, but we proved we're one of the best teams in New England."

Exeter (11-4) won all four of its games in the District V tournament and went 4-2 in the state tournament, placing third.

"I wasn't expecting to get this far, but it happened," Exeter's Jason Bickford said. "I thought we were going to do it."

Bickford had a home run and a double in both games on Thursday.

Cranston went 4-1 in the tournament, with is only loss coming to Exeter, 10-4, in last Tuesday's winner's bracket final. Cranston advances to the 10-year old World Series beginning on Aug. 9 in Winchester, Va.

Cranston lost twice to Plymouth, Mass., in last year's 9-year-old New England championship.

"Last year we were the same position as Exeter; we needed to win one game," Cranston coach Craig Barbarino said. "We never forgot that and we were on a mission. We did all we could do to pull this out."

Jacob Gibbons' fourth home run of the tournament in the first gave Exeter (11-4) a 1-0 lead.

Exeter added four runs in the third off Cranston pitcher Alex Marot. Ryan Doherty scored on a wild pitch, while Jacob Gibbons, Nate Ross and Parker Lendrum all had RBI hits in the inning and Exeter led 5-0.

Cranston closed the gap to 5-3 in the third against Exeter pitcher Hunter Lord. Exeter had a chance to pad its lead in the fourth as three straight walks loaded the bases, but Cranston escaped further damaged as Chase LeClerc grounded out.

Lord faced more trouble in the fourth when Cranston loaded the bases and Andrew Travieso came through with three-run double. Preston Kerman added a two-run double in the fifth, giving Cranston an 8-5 lead.

"(Cranston) is great, we beat them the first time, but we knew today we'd have to work a little bit harder," coach Gibbons said. "It was two great teams battling it out and it should've been a one-run game and that's what it was."

Exeter didn't go down without a fight in the sixth as it loaded the bases with two outs. Bickford delivered a two-run single and advanced to second base. With Jacob Gibbons on a tear, Barbarino decided to intentionally walk him and Marot ended the game by striking out LeClerc.

"They intentionally walked (Jacob Gibbons) twice, so that shows how much respect they had for him; they didn't want any part of him today," coach Gibbons said. "That's because he's such a great hitter. I felt bad for him and I felt bad for all of them."

"(Marot) had a little nerves in the early innings, but he settled down," Barbarino said. "It's a lot of pressure for a 10-year old, but he showed poise."

Cranston scored four runs in the first inning of Game 1 off Bickford, before Gibbons hit a two-run home run in its half. Cranston led 8-2 when Exeter's Jason Bickford hit a three-run home run in the fifth.

Todd Gibbons knew that his team belonged in the tournament all along. His kids convinced themselves with their performance.

"It was good for them to go out and prove how great they are, because they are one great baseball team," he said. "It's going to be a lot of fun over the next two years. We're going to give a lot of teams problems."